On Apr 24, 11:33*pm, Searcher7 wrote:
I have a mini-lathe, but even for those with the larger machines I was
looking for opinions on whether or not the "Adjust Tru" feature on
something like the Bison is really worth the money.

Is any gain is speed or possible accuracy really worth the cost that
these go for?

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Depends on what you need, they aren't really essential. I didn't have
a three-jaw so the extra cost wasn't so bad. In practice the more
accurate centering has only been useful for parts that don't fit 5C
collets and need to be removed to test a fit, then replaced and
trimmed slightly. Most of the time a small light-weight chuck on a 5C
mount (i.e. easily removed and replaced) would work as well for that.
The Sherlines are nice, for me the stronger 3" Enco is about the
weight limit for checking the feel of a light press fit.

Of course if I need to test the fit with a hammer I have to remove the
part from the chuck. In that case the Set-Tru is less trouble to
recenter than a 4-jaw, the machined surface may be difficult to
indicate if it's scuffed or threaded.

jsw